Clow Coffee Shop
by seaglassgirl
Summary: "I'm sorry but the amount of coffee you drink cannot be normal. You know caffeine stunts growth right?" In which Sakura is a barista and Syaoran drinks way too much coffee late at night. Coffee shop AU
1. Chapter 1

Sorry, I just really love Sakura and Syaoran. This idea was on a prompt list for OTPs and as soon as I read it I just had this idea pop into my head.

Tessa

* * *

Sakura Kinomoto handed a frappuccino to the sophisticated woman in a designer pantsuit who had been alternating between typing impatiently on her cell phone and glaring at Sakura while she hurried to finish making the woman's drink. The woman took the drink and put her cellphone to her ear as she walked out a sigh, Sakura brushed a strand of her honey-colored hair that had escaped her messy bun out of her face. Closing her green eyes for a second, she took a deep soothing breath. It was just another day with another rude customer. Opening her eyes, she turned back to the register and began to take another order. Working at the Clow Coffee shop was a frantic job. The sleek café was located on the bottom floor of the Li Industries building and mostly catered to the workers of the 30+ floors in the multi-million dollar company's cooperate building. Office workers were constantly in a hurry to get a drink during their fifteen-minute break, and frequently came into the café impatient and crazed as they ordered coffee. This also meant the baristas had to rush around and get a drink out in record time in order to keep their jobs.

At first, the job had been nothing short of stressful for Sakura. She had hated how rude the customers were and how fast she had to whip out a drink. However, as time had gone on, she had somewhat come to enjoy the bustling coffee shop. The other baristas were very friendly and she could make herself a free drink whenever business was slow. The hours were also nice and flexible so she was able to attend her college classes and study as much as she needed to. There was also the mysterious "Syao."

He came in everyday at 6:30 p.m. and ordered a Venti black coffee. At first it was sort of interesting; this handsome, well-dressed young man coming in everyday at approximately 6:30 at night, only ordering one basic drink and then leaving as soon as he got it. Then it escalated. What started as one coffee, became one at 6:30 and one at 8:30, then another at 9:30. Never a frappuccino, or a cappuccino, or even a tea (he must be up all night with the amount of coffee he orders. Who drinks two large coffees in the evening and gets a good night's sleep?!). Despite the extreme amount of caffeine he consumed, the guy also never used a card. He always had an obscene amount of cash with him. One time he had asked Sakura to break a hundred-dollar bill for a three-dollar coffee. Besides that, he was always alone, always in a hurry, and always the last person to leave the building, if he left.

As a faithful employee of 'Clow Coffee,' Sakura was usually one of the last people to leave the building. The shop closed at 9:45 and it took thirty minutes to clean and lock up. Sometimes it took longer due to various coffee shop mishaps or if they had to restock inventory. It never failed that as she was leaving, the over-caffeinated guy was either leaving or at the vending machines (probably getting a sugar rush too). The worst part was that this mysterious coffee addict was undeniably attractive; with deep brown eyes, a chiseled jaw and brown hair that always looked a little disheveled he could have passed for a male model. Not that Sakura had been inspecting him, it was just hard not to notice his looks when he she took his order every night.

Glancing at the clock, Sakura felt herself get a little excited. It was 6:30, time for him to get his first cup of coffee for the night. However, as the clock ticked by and closing time began to approach, the probability of him showing up also began to disappear. Despite being a tad disappointed, Sakura and her co-workers began to close the shop.

"He didn't show up tonight," Chihiro, another barista teased while her and Sakura got out the mop and bucket. Chihiro went to the same college as Sakura and had been working at the café a few months longer. With brown hair usually up in two ponytails and a tall, wiry build, Chihiro was a good friend and classmate of Sakura's. The two had grown closer after both getting the job at Clow and Chihiro relentlessly teased Sakura about her lack of a love life. In fact, the man's obsession with black coffee was a running joke among the baristas, especially the fact that he always ordered from Sakura.

Despite being 'cute,' Sakura didn't date often, a fact well known by her coworkers who often pried relentlessly into her personal life. The fact was that Sakura was very oblivious to flirting and when told to flirt usually just ended up making a fool of herself. She had had casual dates here and there and a serious boyfriend in high school, but college was very busy for the green-eyed barista. When she wasn't at school, she was studying. When she wasn't studying, she was at work. When she wasn't at work, she was at school. Finding a boyfriend wasn't at the top of her list.

"Yeah," Sakura agreed, "Maybe he finally got a coffee maker in his office." Letting out a small laugh Sakura began to wipe down the counters; however, Chihiro wasn't done with the conversation.

"Or maybe, he finally decided to ask you out and then got so nervous that he never came down." Chihiro added quickly making Sakura blush in embarrassment. The mysterious man was attractive, but to Sakura, he was a little too attractive to actually be interested in a simple barista. He worked at Li Industries for god's sake. He had to be very rich and very smart to even get a position there and the thought of him taking an interest in a girl working at a café and finishing university was laughable to Sakura.

As the two girls finished closing up the shop, Sakura let Chihiro and the other barista's leave while she put up the tables. It was going to be a long night of studying for her and a few extra minutes of putting up chairs was no big deal compared to the hours she would spend with her head in a chemistry textbook. Sighing as she started stacking the chairs, Sakura realized she was a little disappointed by the man's absence. It was nice to see a familiar face and he was such a nice customer, it was almost soothing to take an order form someone who didn't look like they wanted to rip off someone's head.

As she lifted up the last chair, a loud banging sound came from the glass beside her. Recalling that it was already past 10:30, a shiver went down Sakura's spine. Someone was knocking on the glass window. Hundreds of horror stories filled Sakura's head in less than a second, and the idea that a mass murderer was going to kill her in this little coffee shop suddenly seemed very realistic. Turning around, her terrified wide eyes met the tired eyes of the young man 'Syao' who hadn't shown up to get his usual coffee order today. Giving him a small, polite smile, she walked over to unlock the door.

"I'm so sorry," The man greeted, exhaustion evident in his voice, "but is there any way I can get some coffee?" Blinking in surprise, Sakura found herself pitying the young man. His hair looked even messier than usual, the bags under his eyes were dark and huge and his clothes were wrinkled. He looked like a disaster. Ushering him inside with a small smile, she found herself brewing a small pot of coffee for the sleep deprived office worker.

"This is all I can do right now, otherwise I'll be cleaning all night and then I would miss my morning class, resulting in a failing grade and then I really will have to work at a coffee shop for the rest of my life." Sakura explained as she brought him out a mug of steaming black coffee. He cradled the mug gratefully before taking a huge sip. Sakura giggled as she watched him smile in gratitude.

"Thank you so much," He began, "You have no idea how much I needed this." Taking another sip, he flashed her another smile and she felt her cheeks heat up. Walking back to the counter, she began to clean up the small mess that had accumulated from making him a cup of coffee. "Hey," the young man said as he got up and walked over to her, "let me help." Looking up and finding him standing right next to here, wiping down the counter, Sakura knew her face must have been as red as a tomato. He was attractive, had good manners and was really nice? That was just unfair.

"Oh no, it's fine!" Sakura replied, a little frantic. "It's not that big, plus you're the customer, that would be very inappropriate and if my manager ever…"

"Sakura, I want to help." He stated, before looking up at her and flashing her a smile again, "You're staying after hours to make me a delicious cup of coffee, therefor helping you clean up really is the least I can do."

Blinking a few times in confusion, Sakura only had one more thing to ask the gracious man: "How do you know my name?" As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew how stupid they sounded. She had a name tag on for one and two her question definitely made her seem suspicious of the gorgeous guy in front of her who she actually had no reason to be suspicious of since she basically saw the guy everyday and from the way he acted he gave no indication of being a stalker and-

"I've come down to get coffee from you five days a week for the last three months, it would be weird if I didn't know your name." His statement broke Sakura out of her internal state of confusion. The way he had so casually stated her name, like they were friends, made her feel like she had been punched in the gut. Her face felt like it was on fire now and her embarrassment must have been evident on her face, because he continued to speak to her as he finished cleaning up. "I really never loved coffee, but ever since you've started working her, the coffee just tastes so much better. Business in this shop has really picked up, and its not just due to the new holiday latte flavors. That's why I come down here to buy coffee even though I have a coffee maker in my office."

"You have a coffee maker in your office?" Sakura asked in shock, "How much coffee do you drink? Do you ever sleep? Caffeine stunts growth. You could end up really short! Also Caffeine addiction is a problem!" Watching her ramble on about the adverse effects of caffeine, Syaoran found himself laughing. The way her eyes had widened, how her cheeks were red in frustration and the way she was scolding him about stunted growth when he was over 6 feet tall and definitely done growing... it was all very comical to the man who had been staring at paperwork for the last nine hours.

"Syao, are you laughing at me?!" She asked in bewilderment as the grown man in front of her began to laugh at her outburst.

"I'm sorry," he said as he began to calm down, "It's just been a very long week and the fact that you're scolding me about caffeine intake and how I'm going to be short, sorry I just found it really funny."

"Stunted growth isn't something you should laugh at, it's real!" She defended, crossing her arms over her chest. It was then that she noticed how tall he really was. He was probably a head taller than her and she was over here talking about him becoming short? It was sort of funny when she thought about it.

"Also, call me Syaoran." He said before finishing off his cup of coffee and rinsing off the mug. "I just say Syao because it's easier to write on a coffee cup."

"Syaoran…" she mumbled, committing the name to memory. Taking a towel and grabbing his washed mug, she began to dry it.

"And while we're here, are you busy Saturday night?" Syaoran asked, grinning as she stopped drying the mug and looked up at him with wide eyes. "You see, there's this beautiful girl named Sakura who works at the coffee shop in my building and I would really love to take her out to dinner. It would only be fair because she's always making me coffee and I'm a terrible cook so I can't make her food. I was thinking taking her out to dinner would be nice though, because I really want to get to know her. What do you think?" Looking at him in shock, Sakura felt herself smile.

"I think she would love that."


	2. Chapter 2

You guys asked for it, so here it is. I like the idea of the date but writing this was kinda hard. I'm not used to writing fluffy cute dates, so I hope I did okay. I have another chapter in mind right now but I'm not totally sure with the direction on this story.

Also I've been absolutely obsessed with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and everyone should watch it.

Sorry I edited out a few paragraphs. My bad!

R&R

Tessa

* * *

It was Saturday, or 'D-Day' as Sakura referred to it. It had only been a few nights since she had stayed late at the coffee shop and been asked out, but she felt like his confession had been years ago. After he asked her out, Sakura began to feel almost nervous to serve him coffee. He had told her that the coffee tasted better since she had started working there, but what if she messed it up now? What if he didn't want her to charge him anymore? What if he was just using her for her coffee? What if-

"Sakura." A scolding voice shook the girl out of her thoughts. Looking up, she was greeted with the sight of her roommate, Tomoyo, laughing. The two girls shared a medium sized apartment in the busy business district of Tokyo. Tomoyo was one of Sakura's closest friends as well as her distant cousin. The two had met when they were in preschool and ever since then had been inseparable.

"What's so funny?" Sakura asked, confused as her cousin continued to giggle. Tomoyo was graceful and classy, traits Sakura had always admired about her. With silky long black hair, amethyst colored eyes and delicate facial features, Tomoyo was the envy of many girls her age.

"Oh…" Tomoyo started, a smirk on her face, "I just think it's funny how nervous you are for your date." Sakura's face flushed after hearing her cousin's words. Sakura knew her cousin was right; she was very nervous. It wasn't just that she hadn't been on a date in over a year; it was whom she was going with. Syaoran seemed like a nice and genuine guy who by some miracle found her attractive, but Sakura knew she wasn't the type that men like him went for. Those smart businessmen wanted smart, sophisticated girls who wore pantsuits to work and drank black coffee. Sakura didn't even own a pantsuit and preferred her coffee with milk and sugar. He was probably expecting her to know how to speak French or something…

Groaning, the brunette put a pillow over face and fell onto the couch. Tomoyo just giggled again as she sat down next to Sakura.

"You remember how nervous I was when I met Eriol?" Tomoyo started. Sakura nodded, face still in the pillow, "I thought he was some arrogant playboy, but then he surprised me. He was a good person and he liked me for who I was, and now look at us! Two years later and we're so happy!" Sakura lifted her face out of the pillow to smile at her friend. Her best friend had gotten all the luck when it came to men. Eriol was not only handsome as hell, but he was also a successful businessman who was kind, compassionate and understood Tomoyo better than Sakura ever had. While it was true that first impressions could be wrong, Tomoyo also was classy. As the daughter of the owner of an international toy company, she was wealthy and had grown up in the world of fancy wine and dinner parties. It was only fit that she would marry and eventually date someone of the same status.

"Yeah, but you're you!" Sakura whined before burying her face back in the pillow.

"Sakura Kinomoto," Tomoyo scolded, "You are just as pretty, funny and classy as I am! Get your ass up, you're borrowing a dress of mine and you're going to show this boy what a catch you are!" Tomoyo got up and practically dragged Sakura into her room.

Two hours and almost twenty dresses later, Sakura felt a lot better. Tomoyo had helped her with her hair and makeup while picking out a cute but sophisticated dress. As the time for the date neared, Sakura actually felt good about what was about to transpire.

"Okay so," Tomoyo recalled, "he's picking you up and taking you to the restaurant and then straight home after. No funny business Sakura!"

* * *

Syaoran had arrived at her apartment right on time, dressed in a forest green button up, khaki pants and leather shoes while carrying a bouquet of sunflowers. Tomoyo had all but squealed when she answered the door while Sakura had blushed and stuttered like a love-struck teenager. However, Sakura felt any ounce of self-consciousness fade after seeing Syaoran's face turn red when he looked at her. She was wearing a dark pink, almost red, flower-printed trapeze dress that Tomoyo had paired with nude flats. He hair was half up and half down and her makeup was light.

"You- you look beautiful…" he had struggled to say before handing her the flowers and blushing even more.

Syaoran had proceeded to take her to a nice, family owned restaurant on the other side of town. The restaurant "Full Moon," was small and cozy. As soon as she had walked in, Sakura had been assaulted by the smell of Chinese food and her stomach had growled in response. The hostess greeted them warmly and it was clear that Syaoran was a regular here as the entire wait staff came up to say hi.

"They had amazing shrimp here," Syaoran promised as they looked over their menus. "I usually get that or the special, and their chocolate cake is the best in the city!"

"How often do you come here?" Sakura teased. Syaoran's cheeks heated in mortification before he struggled to answer.

"Not too often…" he stated with a small smile, clearly self-conscious, "Once a week?" At his confession, Sakura let out a laugh.

"You really can't cook, can you?" She asked, remembering his confession in the coffee shop.

"Eh…" he said, a cute smile on his face, "I'm terrible. I can't even make rice."

"What?" Sakura exclaimed, "I'll just have to teach you, won't I?" Smiling, she looked back at her menu.

"I would love that, you have no idea how much I've grown to hate microwave meals and cereal." He grinned, when she looked up.

"And coffee?" she asked smirking.

"I'll never get tired of coffee." He promised. Hearing his words, her eyes widened and she felt her face heat up.

"Are you guys ready to order?" A young girl, probably in high school asked. Her accent was thick and it was clear she didn't know a lot of Japanese. Opening her mouth to speak, Sakura stopped when Syaoran began to order in Chinese. Sakura's jaw dropped in surprise.

"What did you want?" Syaoran asked her, turning away from the waitress. Blushing Sakura pointed to a picture on the menu and Syaoran proceeded to put in her order. As soon as the waitress left Sakura turned to Syaoran, still in shock.

"You speak Chinese?" She exclaimed. Syaoran, on the other hand, was completely nonchalant.

"Yes," he started, "It's actually my first language and I grew up in China. I came to Japan in high school."

"Wait what?" Sakura backtracked, "Your accent is perfect, I would have never known."

"Well," Syaoran smiled, feeling slightly awkward, "I worked on it for years, I'm glad you didn't notice at first; that means I've been doing well. I put myself through an accent boot camp in high school so I wouldn't attract any attention."

"That's amazing!" Sakura assured, intrigued. "Do you know any other languages?"

"Well I also know English, French and a little bit of Spanish," he informed her.

"I'm so jealous," Sakura cut in, "I'm terrible at languages. It's my worst subject, besides math of course. My brother and dad can speak different languages too and they constantly hold it over my head." Syaoran laughed as annoyance leaked into her voice.

"You have a brother?" he inquired.

"Yes," Sakura answered, "he's older than me and super overprotective. He can be so mean, he used to call me a monster when I was in elementary school; but now, he's matured a lot, especially since his wife had a baby. Wait, do you have siblings?"

"I have four older sisters," he answered truthfully. Sakura laughed as soon as she comprehended his words.

"You're the baby of the family?" Sakura managed to ask in between giggles.

"… Yes…" he answered, once again embarrassed.

"Sorry for laughing," Sakura said, laugher dying down, "It's just weird to imagine you as the baby, especially with four older sisters. I bet they tortured you."

"Yes," he exclaimed covering his face, "They used to practice makeup on me and would always force me to play dress up when I was younger. It was worse than any punishment I ever received from the clan elders."

"Okay, before I ask another question about you and your life I propose we play a game." Sakura stated. Glancing up at her and seeing her smile, Syaoran's heart skipped a beat.

"What game?" he challenged.

"Twenty questions," she answered, "It's easy enough and it will help us get to know each other better. I mean before we got to this restaurant literally all I knew about you is that you work at Li industries and love black coffee."

"Sounds fair enough," he conceded as the waitress came by and set down their food, "You go first."

"Okay," Sakura agreed before taking bite of food, "What's your full name?"

"Syaoran Li."

…

"Like Li industries?" Sakura's jaw dropped.

"Um…" Syaoran hesitated, "Yes, I'm distantly related to the Li family. I am not in charge of the company though."

"Um…" Sakura trailed off, lost in thought.

"It's my turn," Syaoran stated, breaking the silence, "What's your full name?"

"That was my question!" Sakura said, glaring at the boy across from her.

"Doesn't mean I can't use it too!" Syaoran defended.

"Fine," Sakura agreed, "It's Sakura Kinomoto and I'm not related to anyone famous, I'm just an average girl with an average life." At this she sent Syaoran a smirk before continuing to speak: "Next question: what's your favorite food?"

"Food?" Syaoran echoed, surprised at the sudden change in topic.

"Yes food," Sakura chimed, "I'm very good at cooking as we established before and I believe that you can tell a lot about a person by what their favorite food is." Syaoran laughed at her antics before answering:

"Fine, I have two: chocolate and Dim Sum." He answered truthfully before speaking again: "What do you do besides making coffee?"

"I'm a full time student at Tokyo University and I'm studying education." She answered as she finished her plate of Chinese food.

"You want to be a teacher?" He questioned.

"Is that part of your twenty questions?" she teased.

"It was a follow up question, therefor it doesn't count." He defended.

"It's a question, it counts!" She continued to argue, a mischievous glint evident in her eyes.

"Fine," he conceded, "just answer the question."

"Yes, I want to be an elementary school teacher." She admitted, "Okay my turn and I get to ask two this time!"

"Fine," he agreed.

"Okay first one, what's your favorite color?"

"Green." He answered as the waitress took away their plates and replaced them with a piece of chocolate cake that looked absolutely delectable.

"Green?" she questioned, mesmerized by the piece of cake in front of her.

"Yes green." He answered before picking up a spoonful of cake and holding it out for her. Blinking, she took it gratefully before taking a bite. An explosion of rich chocolate exploded in her mouth and Sakura found she was mesmerized by how good the cake was.

"I told you, they have the best cake here." He reminded her, laughing at her dazed expression.

"I definitely wasn't expecting the cake to be this great," she answered truthfully before taking another bite.

"I've been to a million restaurants, trust me when I say this place is a hidden gem." He said as he winked at her causing her to blush.

"Okay, I believe you," she said giggling, "My next question is what do you do at Li industries?"

"Well right now I'm working in the public relations branch of the company…" he said vaguely as they finished off the cake. The waitress, seeing that they were done, picked up their dirty dishes and left a check on the table.

"Right now?" Sakura questioned.

"Do you want to use another question?" he teased as he put the bills down and stood up.

"Not fair," Sakura responded, playfully glaring at him, "fine, I'll use another question." Helping Sakura up, Syaoran debated his next words

"I'm spending time in each branch of the company," he carefully spoke, "I have to learn everything I can about the company. It's very important that I understand in great detail how each branch works and I know the employees on a personal level." Seeing her confused expression as he opened the car door for her, he laughed. "It's my turn to ask you a question."

"Okay, okay," She agreed, "But only if we can make this date a little bit longer." Smiling, he agreed and she gave him directions to a park near her apartment. The car ride was enjoyable and the couple continued to play their game of twenty questions finding that it was easy to talk to one another, even if at the beginning of the night they had been almost complete strangers. Syaoran found the stress of the workweek melting away with every smile she gave him while Sakura found his presence and sarcasm comfortable and serene. As they arrived a few blocks from her apartment, they found themselves in a large plaza with a huge fountain in the middle.

"Wait, so you have had five dogs, all named Kero that have all run away?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes," She replied, "Somehow the gate would get left open and they would run out and I would never find them! My dad kept buying me new dogs because I wouldn't stop crying but then those dogs would run away and it was a disaster!" Syaoran couldn't help but laugh at the girl's bad luck. Really though, who lost five dogs?

"Okay, so dogs are not your thing, but they are your favorite animal. Your turn, remember it's the last question," Sakura nodded in response as she tired to formulate the last question she wanted to ask.

"What is this place?" he asked as the sat down next to the fountain. Sakura, forgetting about the game, dug around in her purse for a few coins before handing him one.

"It's just a business plaza," she admitted truthfully, "The closest park is a bit of a walk so this is the closest place to my apartment that's good to talk. Also it has a wishing fountain!" Excited she made him get up on the fountain's ledge and turn around so his back was facing the fountain.

"Okay so," she started as she got up and joined him, "We are going to count to three and make a wish," he nodded, stifling a laugh as he realized how childish they must have looked.

"Do you do this a lot?" he questioned, noticing how serious she was about the wishing fountain.

"Only when I really need some good luck," she assured, a bright smile painted on her face and her eyes sparkling, "So get ready for some good luck! Ready, one, two, three!" they tossed their coins over their heads and turned around to face each other.

"What did you-" Syaoran stopped, the grin dissolving as he realized how close they were. Their faces were only inches apart and he could feel her hot breath on his face. Sakura felt her face heat up as she stared into his deep brown eyes. Up close, his facial features were even more defined and she was very aware of the fact that he licked his lips in nervousness. It was weird how childish she suddenly felt. She had kissed boys before, but being this close to him made her feel like she was back in middle school as the awkward girl who was afraid to talk to boys.

Their eyes made contact and she felt her heart rate increase. Suddenly he shifted his eyes to look at her lips and then looked up again into her eyes, like he was asking permission. She felt his hot breath on her face as he slightly leaned in. She flickered her eyes to his lips and then looked back up to his eyes.

"Last question," she whispered breathlessly using up every ounce of confidence she had in her, "Will you kiss me?"

She leaned in, putting her hands on his chest. Closing their eyes, she felt his hands rest on her hips as they met each other half way. Time slowed down as their lips made contact. It was a sweet and sensual kiss; his soft lips moved against hers making shivers run down her spine. She moved her hands to wrap around his neck as they broke for air.

Opening their eyes, they stared at each other for a few seconds, committing the image of each other to memory. His swollen lips and deep eyes captivated her in some unexplainable way. Her heart was running overtime and her cheeks were pink, but she didn't feel embarrassed or nervous; all she felt was excitement over what was to come. A genuine smile broke out on his face as she leaned in to capture his lips again.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN** : You guys asked for it, so here it is. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who faved/followed/reviewed. It means the world to me.

To guest: Thank you for your comments, your review made my day :) about the dog story, I don't know it was kinda just some interesting conversation to me, I might make it into something else but you'll have to wait and see!

Please tell me what you think of this chapter!

Tessa

* * *

"Sakura, I need a vanilla latte!" Chihiro yelled, making Sakura jump in surprise. It had been two months since she and Syaoran had gone out and Sakura felt like she was living a fairytale: her and Syaoran talked everyday and while he came to the coffee shop without fail Monday through Friday, they also saw each other every weekend as well as most nights after work. He was a wonderful boyfriend (although they hadn't made it official, Sakura knew they were dating exclusively) and had made the past few months more interesting.

When Syaoran got off the same time as Sakura, she would often go to his apartment and do her homework there. Sure, being around him was somewhat of a distraction, but it was a lot less of a distraction than Tomoyo and Eriol's flirting or Tomoyo's pestering. Also Syaoran's apartment was quiet. Although it was a nice, expensive loft located a few minutes away from the Li Business Building, it was relaxing and quiet compared to the busy city around it. However, the apartment lacked a personal touch. Everything was always clean, the furniture was brand new, and Syaoran lived alone. It was obvious he enjoyed her presence, especially in such an impersonal place.

Sakura was more perceptive than she led people to believe, and she had noticed many things about Syaoran. For one, she knew that he was a high level employee. Even when he went down to get coffee, older office workers always came up to him to talk about an offer or problem. She noticed that everyone Syaoran talked to spoke to him with respect and veneration. Sakura knew the way the business world worked though: she knew that older and respected employees didn't regard men his age with such reverence unless they held a very high position in the company.

Sakura didn't pry though. They had only known each other for a few months and she knew that when he was ready he would tell her, but she did worry about his health; Syaoran was a workaholic. Sometimes, he would spend the night in his office, chugging coffee and powering through hours and hours of paperwork, phone-calls and files. If he hadn't come down by the time she closed she would sneak up to his office just to check on him. She usually found him sitting at his desk, eyes bloodshot and skin pale.

"It's just another hellish night," he would tell her, a weak but reassuring smile on his face, "I'll probably be up all night." To him, sleepless nights were just part of the job.

Seeing him, holed up in his office and stressed out of his mind bothered her. She knew it was because he was putting everything he had into his job, but why? Weren't there other employees that could help out and make his workload much easier? Li Industries was a huge company but most employees worked regular hours. Why did Syaoran feel the need to do everything by himself?

It was strange, the compassion she felt for him; they had only been dating for a few months but he had become such an important part of her life. He made her happy: something she hadn't felt in her last romantic relationship. Being with him wasn't forced or awkward, conversation flowed and she was always laughing and smiling. He had this presence that was so familiar to Sakura, it was like they had known each other for years. He also got along well with Tomoyo, which was a very big plus in Sakura's book.

"Vanilla latte!" Chihiro's voice brought her back to the present. Scrambling to put together a latte, Sakura's inner musings were long forgotten. Setting the hot drink on the counter and turning around, she was met with Chihiro's smug smirk.

"Thinking about your boyfriend?" she slyly asked. Sakura looked away and tried to busy herself by aiming another drink.

"He's not- we're-I mean we're dating but-" Sakura tried to explain but word vomit came out instead.

"Sakura, you guys have been dating for months," Chihiro interrupted moving to help Sakura with the coffee machine, "He's your boyfriend."

"Just like that?" Sakura questioned incredulously.

"You really haven't had a boyfriend since high school?" Chihiro questioned, ignoring her friend's wide eyes.

"No," Sakura answered truthfully. She had spent years living independently since her last breakup and she had stayed out of the dating scene.

"One: that's ridiculous, you're beautiful and sweet and obviously kind of smart because we're in the same college and everyone knows I'm a genius-" Chihiro teased, earning a laugh from Sakura, "And two: dating as an adult is different. It's not like high school where there was a talking phase and the he asked you officially to be his girlfriend and everyone put it on social media and you had woman crush Wednesday and man crush-"

"I get it, I get it!" Sakura interrupted, grabbing a cup and turning on the coffee machine. Sakura loved her best friend, but Chihiro could talk forever.

"Anyway," Chihiro continued, "I mean as long as you establish the fact that you're dating exclusively and whatnot, there's no reason to be worried about labels!" Sakura sighed as she considered Chihiro's attitude. It wasn't that Sakura was concerned about labeling everything; it was just that they hadn't established if they were exclusive or anything like that. They talked a lot, but mostly didn't talk about what kind of relationship they were in. Besides, what if she brought it up and he was seeing someone else? That would basically ruin their entire relationship.

"What if he's seeing other people? He's a 24-year-old attractive man with a steady job and money and a wonderful personality! Girls are probably throwing themselves at him!" Sakura whined.

"Do you think he's seeing other women or men?" Chihiro questioned with wide eyes while Sakura shot her a playful glare, "I mean you never know, you could just be a cover up-"

"Chihiro!" Sakura interrupted shooting her another glare.

"Okay okay," Chihiro reasoned, "So he's probably not gay but do you honestly think he's seeing anyone else?"

"I mean," Sakura started, "I don't think so. Most nights he's either with me or at the office so unless he's hooking up with his 50-year-old secretary I don't see any way he would have time."

"Then talk to him. Be honest. What's the worst that can happen?" Chihiro reasoned before she turned and walked back to the register. Sakura fought the urge to groan.

Confrontation was not her thing.

When her shift ended she took the elevator to his office. Walking past the secretary's empty desk, she opened the double doors to his office feeling more nervous to see him than she had in months. However, as she walked in, the sight that greeted her was unexpected to say the least:

Syaoran was sitting behind his desk conversing with a woman. Sakura couldn't see the woman's face, but Syaoran looked up as she entered and offered her a smile. Even the back of the woman's head was gorgeous: with shiny, thick black hair and a designer purse on the floor next to her, it was obvious the woman was high society. The way Syaoran sat also alarmed Sakura: he was casual, with a sparkle in his eye and a smile on his face. It was apparent that this woman was someone he knew very well. A thousand worst-case scenarios popped into Sakura's head as she met Syaoran's eyes.

He was definitely cheating on her with this black-haired woman. Maybe she was his wife and Sakura was the other woman. Or maybe she was his concubine. That would make some sense; he was from China. Was that a stereotype? Maybe but why would is a beautiful woman in his office this late? That was sketchy and-

"Who is…" the woman trailed off as she turned around to look at Sakura. The woman _was_ beautiful; with porcelain skin, red lips, big amber eyes and silky black hair. Sakura looked at her feet suddenly feeling very self-conscious in her jeans, work-shirt and jacket. She was dressed plainly and hadn't put on any makeup this morning. Compared to the beautiful woman, Sakura felt like an awkward teenage girl. Suddenly, she remembered Tomoyo's words to her before her first date with Syaoran. With a newfound confidence, she looked back up, painted a polite smile on her face and met the woman's eyes.

"Feimei," Syaoran started, "This is my girlfriend Sakura. Sakura this is one of my sisters, Feimei." The tension in Sakura's body disappeared as the words left his mouth.

"Favorite sister Syaoran!" Feimei teased before getting up to shake Sakura's hand, "Nice to meet you Sakura, Syaoran has told me so much about you!" Fighting a blush, Sakura took her hand. Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura saw Syaoran's face turn red.

"Nice to meet you too!" she answered cheerily.

"She's much cuter than you described on the phone!" Feimei squealed, before engulfing Sakura in a hug.

"Feimei!" Syaoran scolded, getting up to help Sakura out of the bone-crushing hug.

"What?" she asked with a smirk on her face, "This is the first girlfriend in years so as your older sister it's my duty to embarrass you." Syaoran's face turned redder as he made eye contact with Sakura. "You love me!" Feimei teased before grabbing her purse, "Call me tomorrow okay? And it's so nice to meet you" She hugged him once before turning to walk away.

"Be safe!" he answered, ignoring her demand. As the door shut, Sakura turned to her boyfriend (and resisted the urge to smile like an idiot) and let out a quiet laugh as he ran a hand through his hair.

"She seems nice." Sakura commented as she wrapped her arms around his neck and looked him in the eye. She noted that he looked a lot better than he had the night before and that most of the bags under his eyes were gone.

"She's crazy," he sighed, resting his forehead on hers, "but I love her like crazy and I think you two would get along." Smiling he leaned in pecked her on the lips before pulling away.

"Did you just call me crazy by association?" Sakura questioned, a smirk on her lips and a sparkle in her eye.

"Just a little." He teased, giving her a wink. She pulled back, pretending to be offended.

"I'm not crazy geez. Besides, you're the one dating me!" She fired back grabbing his hand and interlacing his fingers.

"I never said I didn't like it. Crazy is good." He promised, leading her out of the office.

He had driven her back to her apartment, but Tomoyo was out for the night and while Sakura wasn't scared of being alone at her apartment, it was late. She had offered to make him something to eat only if he stayed for an hour and made sure there weren't any ghosts. As she pulled out some pasta and sauce for him, she remembered why she had initially been nervous to see him that night.

"So… girlfriend?" she ventured, turning around from the microwave to gauge his reaction. Syaoran, who had been checking his email and leaning against the kitchen counter across from her, looked up at her in surprise.

"Well- I just thought-" He mumbled as he avoided her eyes. Sakura giggled as he struggled to find the right words. When he got nervous, like this, Sakura felt something flutter in her stomach. Syaoran was a driven, educated man who was respected by many and who always knew the right thing to say. She had seen the way he talked to other people in the building and heard him on phone calls; people admired Syaoran for many reasons. It was heartwarming to see how nervous he could get around her.

"So I am?" she asked, "Your girlfriend, I mean." He looked up to meet her eyes and she fought the urge to blush when he smirked.

"I want you to be," he stated, "Unless you have another boyfriend you're not telling me about." She laughed, feeling any inkling of nervousness disappear.

"I want to be too, and I only have a few side hoes, nothing serious," She joked as she pulled him towards her. He laughed stepping towards her and setting his hands on her hips.

"Side hoes?" he echoed, grinning as he leaned in. She snaked her arms around his neck and felt herself smile.

"Don't worry," she whispered, "they are nothing compared to you."

* * *

She woke up in the middle of the night. Sakura was a heavy sleeper and usually slept without interruptions, but tonight had been different. Something was off about the apartment. The steady hum of the air conditioner seemed sinister, the shadows on the walls seemed darker and the noises from the street were louder than usual. Staring up at the ceiling, she found her mind wandering off.

She mostly thought about Syaoran. He was so nice, genuine and handsome it was hard for her to understand what he saw in her. She knew it was immature to compare herself to other women, but she couldn't help herself. It didn't make sense to her.

Looking over at her clock, she noted that it was three in the morning and she was probably going to be up the rest of the night. Suddenly, she found herself wanting to talk to Syaoran. In the past, she would have just watched TV or woken up Tomoyo, but right now all she wanted to do was hear his voice. It was like a spell. She wanted to hear about how his night was going (since he had decided to stay at his office again), she wanted to bring him a warm mug of hot cocoa and she wanted to be near him. Sakura squeezed her eyes shut in disgust; she wasn't some dumb girl who needed a man next to her at all times. Still the fear came trickling in and she resisted the idea to delete his number and never talk to him again.

This entire situation just reminded her of her ex-boyfriend. They had been absolutely perfect together, at least in the beginning. She had been clingy, blinded by what she thought was love, and it hadn't ended well.

A loud crash echoed through the apartment and Sakura's eyes went wide with fright. If there was one thing that scared Sakura it was ghosts (early exposure to horror movies courtesy of her brother had scarred her for life) and a crash in the middle of the night in her apartment seemed very ghostly.

Or it was Tomoyo.

Thinking over it again, Sakura decided it was definitely Tomoyo.

Groaning, Sakura got out of bed and dragged herself out of her room. As soon as she opened her bedroom door, the light from the kitchen temporarily blinded her. Tomoyo was definitely up and using the kitchen. Walking into the kitchen she found her roommate, wearing pajamas and dancing around the room with a bottle of wine in hand.

"What are you doing?" Sakura questioned making Tomoyo freeze. Her friend turned around, red faced and smiling.

"Dancing?" she giggled as Sakura let out a sigh.

"At 3 in the morning?" Sakura teased before grabbing the bottle of wine and turning to grab her friend a glass.

"Well," Tomoyo started before hiccuping, "Dancing is fun at all times of the day!" Sakura laughed as she realized how drunk Tomoyo was. She didn't do this often but when she did Sakura usually could figure out why.

"So, what happened?" Sakura asked. The happiness in the air dissipated as Tomoyo's smile fell. A pang of pity hit Sakura as she watched her friend remember why she was getting drunk alone.

"My mom and I got into a fight and she brought up my dad," she slurred, "then I went to Eriol's office to talk to him about it but he has so much work to do, so damn busy all the time, which I understand, I do. I just wanted to go back to his apartment and snuggle next to him tonight, but he couldn't leave. So then I bothered him and made him cuddle with me in his office until I fell asleep, which was nice but not as comfy. Then I woke up an hour ago and I felt better but then I came home and you were asleep and we have a lot of wine and-" Sakura moved to hug her friend as Tomoyo started crying.

As a child, Tomoyo had the dream life. She had two loving parents, a huge house, and all the money she could dream of. In high school, things shifted: her parents got divorced, her dad moved to Paris with his boyfriend and her mom buried herself in her company. It had been hard, but Tomoyo had taken it very maturely. However, her mother still help grudges and could be bitter which often resulted in fights between the mother and daughter.

"I'm sorry that happened," Sakura murmured, patting her friend on the back. The truth was that Sakura never really knew what to say in these situations. Her own mother had died when Sakura was very young, but her brother and dad had always been protective and supportive. She couldn't imagine being the single child in the middle of a difficult divorce.

"Sakura," Tomoyo started, "Thanks for being a good friend, but I really just want to finish that bottle and sleep this day off." Laughing, Sakura handed a glass of wine to her friend and poured herself another glass.

"I'll drink with you," Sakura offered. Making their way to the couch glasses in hand, the girls curled up in blankets and turned on the television.

"So," Tomoyo said, breaking the silence, "You want to tell me why you were awake?" Sakura smiled and turned away from the television.

"I was thinking about Syaoran and Ken." She admitted truthfully.

"How different they are?" Tomoyo questioned, never skipping a beat even when intoxicated.

"I guess," Sakura sighed, "I was just thinking about how I haven't felt this way since high school and it's weird and a little terrifying." Tomoyo looked at her in surprise.

"Terrifying because Ken broke your heart into a million little pieces that took you years to put back together and you don't want Syaoran to do the same thing?" Tomoyo's words rang loud and clear. Sakura took a deep breath before she answered.

"That's exactly right. I'm not some supermodel, or a genius. I'm an average girl with an average life and I really like a guy who basically is above average in everything he does. It makes me feel weirdly insecure, just like Ken, and I don't think I can handle another breakup like that."

"I mean," Tomoyo paused, "Syaoran likes you. I've seen the way he looks at you Sakura and that's not a look that people give out casually. If things don't work out then they don't, but you can't live your life only playing it safe. You have to take risks and get your heart broken. It's part of growing up and finding yourself. Yeah, Ken was a piece of shit, but his actions shouldn't make you miss out on love. Look at my mom: because of what happened to her marriage, she completely gave up on love, on men, and now lives alone and yells at her daughter all the time. She can't move on from what happened and it's destroyed her life and made everyone around her resent her in some way or the other. She refuses to take chances, to get out there and to find love again and it's made her miserable."

"So I should take a chance?" Sakura murmured.

"Take a million chances Sakura. One of them is bound to work out well. Look at Eriol; he was a man-whore before I met him. I took a chance on him and trusted him and made him respect me for the woman I am. Look at how good that turned out! So what I'm saying is that... you should call him." Sakura blinked. Tomoyo was drunk and still gave the best life advice.

"Okay," Sakura announced as she got up from the couch, "Wish me luck."


	4. Chapter 4

2 updates in one day? Life is crazy I know

anyway, even though this is horribly late, enjoy!

* * *

Syaoran was sure that if this meeting went on any longer, he was going to explode. The PowerPoint on the screen was a bland black and white presentation with boring pie charts and bullet points; not to mention the old people around him, staring intently at the speaker, made him want to gag. Business meetings could be interesting, but tonight he wanted nothing more than to go home. He was sure that if his phone hadn't vibrated, he would have fell asleep.

From Sakura: I'm making stir-fry tonight. Don't be home too late.

Syaoran fought the urge to smile like an idiot as he looked at the message. It was one thing to look at business emails on your phone during a meeting, but a personal text would definitely have been frowned upon. However, the happiness that coursed through him after reading her text was unmistakable.

They didn't technically live together, but she had a key and spent almost every night in his apartment. It wasn't something they advertised, especially because his mom would kill him, but it was known among their close friends. He wasn't really sure how it had happened; it had gone from spending the night to leaving a toothbrush to giving her a key and then it had just happened (not that he didn't like his current living situation because he loved it). He loved her more than he had ever loved anyone else and texts like those were just a reminder of how lucky he was. She was the first person in a long time that he had been able to fully open himself up to. After his dad had died, Syaoran was no longer just Syaoran; he became Syaoran Li, the only son of Hide Li. In one moment, his identity had changed drastically. Sakura had undone that. Everyday he found himself waking up happier and happier. He had goals, ambitions and dreams again.

There was just one small problem: Sakura had no idea who his family really was.

It wasn't something that he thought would alter their relationship, but every time an opportunity arouse for him to tell her, he found himself chickening out. He was afraid as to what his confession would do to their relationship. He had vowed to be honest with her and while he hadn't technically lied, he also had avoided the truth. He didn't want to betray the unconditional trust she had put in him. She had been so open with him and the fact that he had kept such a huge part of his life a secret from her could ruin them.

However, as he sat in the world's longest and most unproductive board meeting, the heir to Li Industries found himself vowing to tell her the truth soon.

* * *

Sakura sighed as she looked through the homepage of Yahoo news. It was already past nine and Syaoran was still at work. She loved him, she really did, but he was such a workaholic. Still as she sat at the dining room table in his apartment wearing one of his shirts and drinking a mug of warm tea, she counted her blessings. Syaoran just loved his job a little too much.

However, she did need to write her paper on a current event that was due in a few days and Syaoran was a distraction when he was here. Refreshing the page, Sakura was met with a news headline that interested her.

"Li Industries names new CEO"

Clicking the link she was brought to the article. Her eyes widened as she stared at the screen in front of her in shock. Under the headline was a picture of a man with messy chestnut hair, warm amber eyes and a stern expression. She found herself denying that the picture was real because Syaoran was definitely not the new CEO of one of the fortune 500 companies. He lived in an inner city apartment and was dating her for peeps sake; there was no way he was a multi-millionaire. Frantically speed reading the article, she found the final piece of the puzzle.

"Syaoran Li, the son of Hide Li and the heir to Li Industries, has officially been named the international company's new CEO, effective immediately."

For a moment, Sakura felt as though time had stopped. Syaoran wasn't just the new CEO, but he was also the owner. She was dating an heir. She had been dating a multi-millionaire for almost a year and hadn't figured it out. Of course she knew something was up. Young men didn't just get the job Syaoran had. Jobs like that came with time and experience and she had known that, but an heir?! That was unheard of. She was dating someone who was practically royalty. She had never felt like a peasant but as she looked at the picture of him on the screen again, she felt like an idiot.

Acting on a whim, she went into the search bar and typed out his name. She groaned in irritation when she saw his Wikipedia page (how important did Syaoran have to be to have his own Wikipedia page? That was ridiculous!). Looking through his biography, the irritation grew as she realized that his family was Chinese royalty. His mother, who she had never actually seen a picture of before, was the epitome of elegance and his sisters clearly took after their mother. The clan owned a huge mansion in Hong Kong and his extended family ranged from being influential politicians to wealthy businessmen to scientific geniuses. She also found out that Syaoran was been named the "Hottest Teenage Millionaire" by a lot of Chinese Gossip Magazines when he was in high school.

The entire thing made her want to bang her head against the table. As she was about to click on another link, the sound of footsteps interrupted her. Quickly closing the open tabs, she frantically tried to figure out what she was supposed to say to him. She couldn't lie; not only was she a terrible liar but she also didn't want to pretend like nothing had changed. This whole world that Syaoran had kept from her not only made her feel like an idiot but also made her question their relationship. Had he not told her because he was protecting her or was he embarrassed that he was dating some girl that worked in a coffee shop and was still in college? The bottom line was that Syaoran had been lying to her and she was angry.

"Hey sweetheart, I'm home!" he hollered from the entryway. Sakura opened her mouth to reply but found her voice gone. She was frozen in fear and stunned into silence. When he walked into the kitchen and found her staring at her computer screen she resisted the urge to grab her keys and run back to her apartment. Looking up, she met his questioning gaze with fire in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked, unnerved by the way she was looking at the computer. The way her eyes narrowed made him feel sick to his stomach.

"Nothing is wrong," she stated, feeling even more confused by the second. Looking up at him, she felt a pinch in her chest. He looked like he always had: big brown eyes and mussed hair. It was a strange sensation to feel like the man she thought she knew better than herself was actually a complete stranger. He looked the same, his voice sounded the same, but who really was he? He was the heir to a multi-million dollar inheritance, a member of one of the most prestigious bloodlines in Asia and the newly named CEO of Li Industries, a multi-billion dollar company.

The problem was that he also was a workaholic with a witty sense of humor and a warm smile. He loved chocolate more than anybody she had ever met and he drank way to much coffee. He liked to sleep on the right side of the bed and hated peanut butter. His favorite books were the "Harry Potter" series and he played baseball for 11 years. He loved winter because he loved wearing fuzzy sweaters and cuddling. He could make the best hot chocolate but couldn't cook regular food to save his life. That was the man she loved.

Sakura didn't know what to say.

"I- how was work?" she blurted out. He blinked at her sudden outburst and paused before answering.

"It was fine." He stated after a pause. She blinked.

"Have you checked the news?" She ventured.

"No, what about it?" he asked setting down his stuff and pulling out a chair across from her. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at the first article she had read concerning him.

"Apparently Li Industries named a new CEO," she stated nonchalantly. Looking up from her computer she met his blank eyes with determination, "His name is Syaoran, Xiao Lang in Chinese, and he is also the heir to the company and a member of the prestigious Li Clan. How interesting." As she finished talking, Syaoran felt his entire body go cold. Her tone had been light, but he knew that she was just waiting for him to explain. He knew that his girlfriend was logical, but he also knew that she could be irrational when she was angry. However, the way she was looking at him, almost like she was daring him to try and talk his way out of this, unnerved him.

"I can explain." He stated calmly. He had spent his entire life learning how to resolve conflicts; this would be a walk in the park.

"Then explain." She ordered, sitting back in her chair and keeping their eyes locked.

"I wasn't supposed to tell anyone besides a select group in the company. It wasn't anything personal, but I was keeping a low profile." He tried to explain, to put his reasoning into words but he knew that his argument was going to end badly.

"You couldn't tell your girlfriend of over a year that you weren't just some employee, you were the heir to the company. You couldn't tell me that you were actually a millionaire or wait 'The Hottest Teenage Millionaire' by every gossip magazine in East Asia?" She wanted to believe that his intentions had been pure but she also knew that the lies were a little too much for her to handle. He had been so good at avoiding the truth; the thought of what else he could potentially lie about was a little scary.

"It wasn't just that, Sakura. I was trying to protect you, protect us." He reasoned.

"Protect me? I don't need someone to protect me. I'm an adult and I can take care of myself."

"No Sakura, you don't know what will happen tomorrow when the entire world has seen that picture of me. I've been under the radar for six years for a reason. Those gossip magazines, they like to bend the truth, to ruin anything that's good. I didn't want anyone to know who I was because I liked the life I was living." He reached over and grabbed her hand, interlacing their fingers. She didn't pull away, but confusion was still written all over her face.

"You should have told me; you shouldn't have lied to me." She breathed. He saw her eyes turn glassy with tears and his heart hurt.

"I felt like I didn't have a choice…" he answered.

"That's the thing Syaoran," she explained, her voice cracking, "You did have a choice. You had a choice to tell me the truth, to let me into your real life, but instead you kept it all hidden away. You lied to me about who you really are… and… and I know that you love me and I-I just wish that was enough but it's not."

"Sakura…"

"People lie and cheat without regrets. It's the way the world works; it's how people become successful. Maybe they have good intentions, but good intentions don't justify any bad deed. My mom… she used to tell me that you could always figure out who a person really is not by their words, but by their actions. She knew that stuff, she really did. She was a model… and people were constantly trying to use her to gain something, so she knew that world of greed. She was constantly poked, prodded and used by everyone around her. She didn't want her children to ever deal with that… so I can't… just get over this."

"Sakura, please," Syaoran pleaded, his voice wavering, "I've never felt like this fro anyone before. I love you more than I thought was possible a few years ago. I'm sorry I hurt you like this. It wasn't my intention … I was trying to make sure you lived a happy life I was trying to help and I'm sorry…" She ducked her head as his words echoed through the apartment, trying, in vain, to hide her tears.

"I want to believe you, but- but I just…" she paused, sucking in a deep breath before meeting his eyes, "I need some time to myself."

For a moment, the room was quiet as they looked into each other's eyes. Time slowed down as she brushed away her tears, and pulled her hand away from his. He felt a lump form in his throat as she stood up and grabbed her things. He felt tears fall from his eyes as she made eye contact with him before closing the door.

He let himself cry when the silence in the apartment became too much.


	5. Chapter 5

Finally uploaded three months later. Sorry it's late, but please tell me what you think!

* * *

Sakura looked down at the mug of steaming coffee in front of her. She had poured too much milk and now the dark brown had morphed into a lighter shade of brown that reminded her of the color of Syaoran's hair: Chestnut brown hair that was hopelessly messy but silky and soft and Sakura loved to run her fingers through it especially in the mornings when he was still fast asleep.

Sakura sighed and shook her head feeling very much like an overdramatic teenage girl. It had been five months since she had last seen him and while she missed him, she also didn't really think she could face him after everything. Walking out had been immature, but lying for the entire duration of their relationship about whom he really was (especially because she literally worked in his building) wasn't something she could just forget. It wasn't that she didn't believe he was sorry, it was the whole symbol behind his reasoning. He had lied about his family, his life, even if he had good reason he had betrayed her trust and she didn't want to go back to him and try to fix that. She loved him, but she also wasn't really ready to get back with him and pretend that nothing had changed.

Putting a lid on her coffee cup, she turned around from the counter and looked around the bustling coffee shop. Tables were filled with books and laptops as students began to prepare for their final examinations. The baristas were methodical with their movements; making sure to get each stressed out student the right coffee order. Tucking a strand of hair that had escaped her messy bun behind her ear, Sakura felt her lips turn up into a slight smile.

She had quit working at Clow Coffee Shop a few months ago after the breakup, but she missed it dearly. Her manager had almost begged her to stay, but her school schedule had picked up and she was nearing graduation. At first she had still visited the coffee shop frequently, picking out a table in the corner and working on her assignments, but she always afraid that Syaoran was going to walk in and that also was something she was not ready for. She preferred other coffee shops around her campus anyway; enjoying the hustle and bustle of the morning rush and convenience of something five minutes from her class.

Sakura sighed again, the smile slipping off her face. She wanted to see him, but she also wasn't ready to come face to face with the man who had broken her heart. The wound was too fresh.

Besides, in the eight months since their breakup, it had been nearly impossible to avoid seeing him. Since taking over the company, Syaoran had come out of "hiding" and now he was everywhere: every time she turned on the news, some news about Li Industries was the front story, every magazine had his face on the cover and she couldn't even listen to the radio for risk of hearing about his personal life.

Oh, yeah there was also his personal life. He was dating again, that much Sakura knew from the constant media coverage of his life. Not that she had been stalking the news reports (okay yes, of course she had, but really, who wouldn't?) but he had been taking dates to business functions and was now going steady with a Chinese supermodel (when she first saw this headline, she fought the urge to rip the magazine in half because only crazy ex-girlfriends did that stuff). The girl was beautiful, the kind of beautiful that you couldn't hate. With big blue eyes, long dark brown hair that fell down her back and the gracefulness of royalty, the new girl was everything Sakura wasn't.

Her heart ached every time she passed by a newsstand and saw a picture of the two together.

Other than that, things were great for Sakura. She was graduating in a month and would spend the summer tutoring. In the fall she would be working in fulltime in a preschool. Her best friend, Tomoyo was engaged to her long time boyfriend, Eriol, and was to be married a month after Sakura's graduation in an exotic and expensive wedding in Hawaii. Her family was doing well too; her brother and his wife were expecting their first child and Sakura's dad had a new girlfriend.

Even if she was brokenhearted, she was overjoyed for the people in her life. And while she was hurt that her ex-boyfriend had a beautiful new girlfriend, she was happy for him. After all, she had broken up with him and Syaoran had reached out to her. The first month had been filled with calls and bouquets of flowers to her apartment, but after a month of silence on her end, the calls had stopped. At first she had been unbelievably hurt, but as time wore on, she had decided that leaving him was the best thing she could have done for him. She was glad he was moving on: he deserved someone who was from that world of millionaires, paparazzi stalking and yacht parties (the last one was just because she was a tad bitter that he had never taken her on his private yacht but whatever). Even if she missed him dearly, this was for the best.

Turning towards the door, she walked out of the coffee shop and into the warm April air. A gust of cool wind blew a few cherry blossom petals into her face and ruffled her hair. Things were changing, flowers were blooming and new beginnings were just around the corner. Reaching up to undo the hair she had secured in a messy bun, she made eye contact with Chihiro, who was sitting at a bench with a textbook open on her lap.

"Sakura!" The spunky girl called out from across the courtyard, enthusiastically waving and attracting the attention of a few students passing by. As Sakura began to walk towards the girl, she noticed her friend was already dressed in her work uniform. Chihiro had worked at Clow Coffee Shop for a few years, and was devastated when Sakura quit; however, the two kept in contact and shared a class together this semester. Chihiro, despite being the same age as Sakura, had changed her major too many times and wasn't set to graduate for a few more years. However, the spunky girl never failed to brighten Sakura's day and was a great study partner.

"Good morning Chihiro!" Sakura replied as she walked up to the girl and took the empty seat next to her. As another gust of winder blew through the campus and knotted her hair, Sakura regretted her decision to undo her messy bun.

"How are you this beautiful spring morning?" Chihiro asked ruefully flipping through the pages of her textbook. Sakura's laugh broke through Chihiro's frustration and she closed the book with a grunt.

"I'm good, how are your classes? I take it you have a test today?" Sakura ventured, taking the first sip of her coffee and adjusting her cardigan. Chihiro gave Sakura a sly smile before dumping her book in her oversized backpack.

"Yes, archeology is kicking my butt. I'm thinking of changing majors again…" Chihiro confessed as she pulled her hair into a high ponytail.

"Again? You're going to be working at that coffee shop when you're a grandma if you keep this up!" Sakura teased, a warm smile on her face. Chihiro laughed goodheartedly in reply.

"Speaking of Clow…" Chihiro murmured, a sly smile on her face and mischievous glint in her eyes. Sakura groaned, already knowing what her friend was going to say.

"Oh no," Sakura objected, "We are not talking about this."

"Yes, we are so talking about this," Chihiro countered, "Its been how long? And you haven't visited us; we are your coffee family and yet you're over here drinking some Starbuck's roast?!" Sakura fought the urge to laugh as her friend glared at the Starbucks cup in her own hand. Starbucks was the Clow's rival and all of the employees made it their personal mission to spread hate regarding the chain coffee shop.

"Look I've been super busy and-" Sakura tried explaining, putting up her hands as a sign of defeat; however, Chihiro was having none of that.

"-And you don't want to see him, which I get, it's totally understandable, I mean if the tabloids are right and he's dating that girl Megumi, then hell yeah if I were you I would never want to see him again. That girl is a ten and so are you, don't get me wrong, but like she's gorgeous and-"

"Where is this going?" Sakura interrupted, her lips drawn into a thin line. It was very true that Megumi Wang was gorgeous and rich, and it was also very true that Sakura was a frumpy little college girl next to the international supermodel, but it was flattering that Syaoran had even taken an interest in her in the first place.

"But Sakura, she's not you and trust me when I tell you that you are so out of his league-"

"Out of a rich billionaire that was named the "Hottest Man in Asia" four years in a row?" Sakura countered, arching an eyebrow.

"Fine, he's pretty attractive and he is nice and very rich, and wow four years is a lot, so I totally get why you're avoiding that building but Sakura, at least come say hi to us. I don't want to see you sad or put you in an uncomfortable situation but you won't see him, I promise. He doesn't even go to the coffee shop anymore, he sends his secretary now!" Chihiro explained looking across the courtyard and hoping that she hadn't blabbered too much. Sakura blinked in surprise and felt something turn in her stomach.

"Wait, he doesn't go to the coffee shop anymore? Why?" Sakura exclaimed, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. Chihiro shrugged her shoulders in response keeping her eyes on the other side of the courtyard where students were gathering.

"I guess he didn't want to be reminded of you." Chihiro murmured suggestively, her lips quirking up in a knowing smirk. Sakura felt her face heat up and her eyes widen before laughing off her friend's comment.

"I doubt it, he seems like he's doing just fine." Sakura stated before taking another sip of her now cold coffee.

"I guess," Chihiro conceded, "but I think that if you really love someone, you never really stop loving them."

Another gust of wind blew through the courtyard and stopped Sakura from replying.

* * *

"Sakura, please come in here!" Tomoyo hollered from the other side of the messy hotel room. Looking up from her laptop, Sakura sighed before getting up and leisurely walking over to her best friend.

"Tomoyo?" Sakura questioned as she entered the disaster of a bathroom. Bottles of exotic lotions and soaps were strewn across the floor, makeup and various hair straighteners and curling irons littered the counter and Tomoyo sat on the toilet, raven hair half up and half down and her face buried in her hands. Sakura resisted the urge to laugh as her friend let out a groan.

"Sakura, this is a disaster. I should have just eloped, that way I wouldn't have to worry about stupid dress rehearsals or curling my hair or the perfect dress or this stupid wedding diet!" Tomoyo wailed from her seat on the toilet, her once pristine bathrobe covered in makeup smudges. Bending down next to her best friend, the lips of Sakura's mouth quirked up into a warm smile.

"Tomoyo, do you want me to do your hair and makeup for this rehearsal dinner?" Sakura questioned. Tomoyo lifted her head, her watery-amethyst eyes making contact with Sakura's understanding emerald eyes. Tomoyo could be an anchor in most situations; with her calm demeanor and quick thinking, Tomoyo was often called upon to resolve disputes and calm down others, but other times…

"I'm useless!" Tomoyo wailed as Sakura lifted her off the toilet seat and guided her to one of the beds. Sakura once again fought the urge to giggle at her friend's dramatics. The two had arrived in Hawaii two days prior and had been spending their time drinking Pina-Coladas and sightseeing before Tomoyo finally tied to the knot. However, this morning Tomoyo had woken up crying about the wedding cake and since then, things had only gotten worse.

"You're not useless, you're just nervous." Sakura consoled, pushing Tomoyo to sit on the bed while Sakura grabbed the hairbrush and proceeded to take the knots out of her best-friend's hair.

"No, I'm both nervous and useless." Tomoyo argued, wincing as Sakura pulled on a big knot.

"Well you took care of me when I was just plain useless and heartbroken, so I'm here for you. As long as Syaoran isn't involved I'll be the anchor you need throughout this weekend!" Sakura cheerfully encouraged setting down the brush.

"Oh Sakura…" Tomoyo wailed even louder turning her head away from Sakura dramatically, "Of course Syaoran is going to be at the wedding this weekend!"

Sakura felt her stomach drop as the words registered in her head. She wanted to be mad at Tomoyo, yell and kick and scream; but she knew that wouldn't help. Her friend was freaking out and needed her to be here, calm and collected.

"I thought you knew Sakura~! Him and Eriol went to school together, played soccer… I thought I told you! I didn't mean to drop a bomb on you the day before the wedding… hours before the rehearsal dinner where of course you'll see him and-"

"Wait, he's going to the rehearsal dinner?" Sakura interrupted, feeling her heart speed up. There was no way this was happening. She wasn't prepared for this: for seeing him tonight. It was too soon.

"Yes, god I thought I told you. And here you are, helping me, when I should be helping you. I'm such a horrible friend!" Tomoyo wailed, even louder if that was possible.

It all came crashing into Sakura at once Syaoran, the break up, the new girlfriend, and Chihiro's words. A wave of nausea washed over Sakura as the facts lined up in her head. She wasn't ready to see him tonight, there was too much that she had been avoiding these past months and she couldn't take care of her best friend and keep herself calm when her ex-boyfriend would be just a few feet away. She had tried so hard just to block everything about him out of her life. She knew what it was like to not move on, to be stuck on someone and to keep going back to him breakup after breakup. She knew that cycle too well and that wasn't how functional and healthy relationships worked, so when she ended it with Syaoran, she ended it. She didn't want to talk it out or go back and pretend that everything was going to be okay because she had done that before and just like broken porcelain, she could never line the pieces up to make that porcelain beautiful again.

Everything eventually had to break, had to shatter, because nothing lasts forever. People drift away from each other, friends come and go, marriages end in divorce and life drags people away from each other at the most inconvenient times.

"Sakura?" Tomoyo asked, breaking Sakura out of her inner monologue. Taking a single look at her best-friend's facial expression of distress, all of Sakura's troubles seemed insignificant. She felt the stress leave her body in a single breath. This was Tomoyo's weekend: the prelude to the rest of her life and Sakura was not going to be a little bitch.

With a reassuring smile on her face, Sakura helped her best friend get ready for the most important day of her life.

* * *

Things were more than awkward; things were uncomfortable. The tension in the room was palpable and Sakura swore that the AC wasn't on. Syaoran looked just as uncomfortable as Sakura felt and while that was reassuring, it didn't make Sakura any less uncomfortable. Grabbing another flute of champagne, Sakura finished it in one gulp and proceeded to avoid her ex-boyfriend.

The rehearsal dinner was almost over, only about a half an hour left, and had gone by smoothly with no incident. She had offered him a polite smile at the beginning of the night and since then, had avoided Syaoran like the plague. Which seemed to unnerve him, but it felt good to not be around him. Sakura had barely been able to keep Tomoyo from going rouge before the dinner and Sakura wasn't sure how much longer her friend was going to last. It wasn't until she was politely chatting with a few of Tomoyo's college friends that things got a little weird.

Sakura had known Tomoyo since they were little and the two got along great; however, Tomoyo's college friends were a bit… over the top for Sakura. They had all met in the fashion designing classes and were pretty, but the kind of pretty that they knew and flaunted. Sakura thought the girls were nice; they just were a bit stuck up, shallow and sort of treated Sakura like she was a younger sister. It was a good gesture, but Sakura was the same age as most of the girls and didn't really appreciate the patronizing attitude often cast upon her by Tomoyo's university friends. Nonetheless, Sakura also put on a big smile and made the effort to talk to them, however shallow the conversation might be.

"Well I just think her dress is going to be- wait," Yui, a sweet girl that Tomoyo had roomed with her sophomore year in college. At the interruption, Sakura looked up from her drink only to see Yui and Rin staring at the space behind her, light blushes painting their cheeks pink, "He's coming over here!" Sakura didn't need to turn around to know whom they were talking about. Every girl in the room had practically drooled when Syaoran had walked in behind Eriol and it was obvious by the way the two talkative girls were suddenly at a loss of words.

"Good evening ladies, I don't think we've had the pleasure of meeting," Sakura felt her stomach flop as he came up next to her and extended his hand to the two blushing women. His voice was deep and smooth, just like Sakura remembered down to the absolute perfect manners. It was unnerving how calm his voice could be especially when Sakura felt like she was going to throw up just by his presence next to her. Sakura resisted the instinct to run away as he continued to talk, "I'm Syaoran Li and you two are?"

"Yui Hawami, I'm one of Tomoyo's friends from college. It's such a pleasure to meet you," the more talkative of the two girls answered first, extending her hand to shake his. Sakura watched the handshake take place in front of her, making sure to not let her eyes wander to the man next to her. Sakura watched Yui bite her lip as she gave Syaoran a seductive smile. Yui was definitely the more outgoing of the two and Sakura almost rolled her eyes at the girl's forwardness. Sakura resisted the urge to drop the fake smile she had painted on her face when the girl giggled.

"Ah, and you are?" Syaoran answered his voice not giving a single emotion away and not skipping a beat.

"And I'm Rin Ayaki, also one of Tomoyo's friends from university," Rin answered quietly, tucking her jet-black hair behind her eye and flashing Syaoran a small smile. Sakura understood: if she had been more outgoing she probably would have done the same thing the first time she saw him in the coffee shop. He was attractive and confidence oozed off of him like some sort of seductive cologne. Syaoran was every girl's fantasy and Sakura had seen this behavior more times that she could count.

"Very nice to meet both of you," he stated, warmth and kindness evident in his voice.

"Oh, and this is Sakura!" Yui added as an afterthought when Sakura did not turn to introduce herself to the handsome man next to her. At the mention of her name, Sakura's smile became wider and her mind became mush.

"Oh, we've met. She's my friend." Syaoran stated. Sakura resisted the urge to hang her head in shame as the word 'friend' escaped his mouth. She was not his friend. They did not hang out like friends nor did they talk like friends. She had lived in his apartment, friends didn't do that-

"Yes, me and Syaoran are friends." Sakura stated, flashing the two girls a smile before turning to look at Syaoran for the first time that night. He looked dashing, as usual. With a nice maroon button up shirt on and khakis, he looked casual yet sophisticated, like he should have been spending the evening on a yacht instead of some rehearsal dinner. His hair was messy as usual, but was short than the last time she had seen it. It was when she looked into his eyes that she knew she was a goner: they were the same shade of amber that she had remembered waking up to and she had to once again fight to keep the fake smile painted on her face.

"You two know each other?" Yui asked intrigued. Sakura registered the question but couldn't bring herself to break eye contact with the man next to her. It had been months since she had seen him and she had forgotten how much he could take her breath away.

"Yes, we met over a year ago. "Syaoran answered, breaking eye contact and looking at the confused faces of the girls across from them. Had it already been over a year since they had met at the coffee shop? Maybe he had been keeping track longer than her.

"Sakura! I can't believe you didn't tell us that you two were friends!" Yui exclaimed. Sakura laughed nervously, grabbing a flute of champagne from a waiter walking by. This was not how the evening was supposed to be going.

"Oh, she's just embarrassed of me." Syaoran responded quickly, humor in his voice as Sakura took a gulp of her drink. She could see his lips quirking up into a smirk and her face heated up.

"Embarrassed? Oh what? You're gorgeous." Yui replied easily. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Sakura began to choke on her drink. The group looked at her in alarm as she started coughing loudly. "She must have drank too much in one gulp." Yui explained, momentarily forgetting about Syaoran.

"I'm good," Sakura rasped before coughing again, "Just went down the wrong tube." As she continued to cough, she felt Syaoran's hand slide onto her back and begin to rub comforting circles. God, this would happen to her.

"I think I'll take her outside so she can breathe a little better," Syaoran explained as he began to lead her away from the two girls, "It was nice to meet you two." Sakura's eye widened as he lead her out of the dinner and into the hallway. This was definitely not supposed to be happening.

"Wait," Sakura stated planting her feet also causing Syaoran to stop.

"What-"

"What are you doing?" Sakura demanded, looking him in the eye and cocking her eyebrow.

"Taking you outside." He replied, meeting her stare.

"Why?"

"Because I want to talk to you. You've avoided me for over eight months and this might be the only time I can actually talk to you." Sakura felt the accusation in his words stab her in the gut.

"Maybe I don't want to talk to you." She stated, attempting to keep her voice even. As soon as the words left her mouth he visibly slumped in defeat and ran his hand through his hair, sighing.

"Sakura, just talk to me." He stated with a wry smile on his lips and his eyes soft. Sakura felt her stomach lurch again as his words hit her. He looked so sad and so hurt that she was stunned into silence. It was so alarming how he could go from a confident businessman, to the man in front of her with puppy-dog eyes and a shy smile on his lips. She felt her resolve crash as he broke eye contact and looked at his feet in defeat. On one hand she wanted to talk to him for the rest of the weekend, but on the other-

"Fine, we can talk," Sakura announced before she could stop herself. He looked up at her with a questioning gaze, "Just lets go somewhere private, okay?" He agreed, nodding his head in response. Taking her hand, he led her to a set of double doors. Opening them, Sakura was met with a beautiful marble balcony overlooking the moonlit beach. Sakura felt the breath leave her lungs as she looked around the ethereal sight before her. The waves were calmer than she had ever seen them and the moonlight reflected off the water

"So how have you been?" Syaoran asked resting on the railing on the balcony. Syaoran had gotten better looking in the time they had separated and she felt her cheeks heat up as they made eye contact.

"Good, I graduated in May," she confessed joining him at the railing to look out on the beach. She could feel his eyes on her as she stared at the waves lapping at the shore.

"Yeah, Tomoyo told me, that's awesome Sakura. You must be so happy." He replied, looking away from her and turning his eyes to the beach.

"I'm honestly really excited to begin teaching in August. Right now I'm tutoring summer school sessions, but when summer break is over, I'll be full time. I'll have my own classroom too and I can't wait to meet all my students and learn so much from them! It's a dream come true," She gushed, feeling more at ease by the second, "What about you? How's everything?"

"Good, I work a lot but what's new-" Sakura laughed at this confession, "But things with the company are really good." Sakura stilled at the mention of "the company." The multi-million dollar company that he actually owned and conveniently never told his girlfriend about.

"Good." She responded quietly while looking away, "How's Megumi?"

"She's a good friend," He informed her, a smirk on his face.

"Friend?"

"Yes, we've known each other a long time, but nothing more than friends. I don't really have the time to start dating anyone new, besides, it's not like I can even look at another-" he stopped himself before finishing his sentence. Looking up, Sakura saw that his face had turned red and he was suddenly quiet.

"I haven't dated anyone either," she stated, understand dawning on him.

"Sakura, I-" He said, fully facing her, but she didn't really want to hear it.

"Don't. It's fine," she replied, a far off look in her eyes, "I'm happy for you Syao, I really am. I'm not depressed or lonely, I have a life, you know? And I've seen the way things around you have blown up: you're on the cover of every magazine and I think I know more about you from gossip columns than I did when we were dating. I think you were right, I would have been really overwhelmed" Silence settled between the two ex-lovers at her small confession. She quickly looked down suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

"Sakura, you know I didn't want to hurt you, right? " He asked breaking the silence. She looked up at him, her conviction breaking with every word he said.

"I know you didn't mean to hurt me, but that doesn't mean that what you did was okay."

"I know, but I just wish I could go back and redo it all. I thought that I was doing what was best for you…" He looked up and met her eyes. The music from the reception floated onto the balcony filling the silence that had once again settled between the estranged couple.

"What are you expecting me to say?" She pleaded, feeling her throat tighten up, "That it's okay you lied to me for our entire relationship?" She looked away, his gaze burning into her soul, "It's not that I was so mad about the fact that you were trying to protect me, I get that part, but it's the fact that you were so good at lying. I never suspected a thing and that's terrifying. I put all my trust in you and you couldn't even tell me who you really were. If you were hiding that what else are you hiding?"

"I know I know," he agreed while taking a step towards her, "I should've told you but I couldn't find the right time. I couldn't have told you on the first date because it would've changed the way that you looked at me-"

"And you thought I would have only wanted to date you because of your money?" Sakura quipped, meeting his eyes with a fierceness that wasn't there before.

"No of course not," he stated, "but you know that it would've changed the way that you looked at me."

"Yeah it would've, but at the same time to have that little faith in me that things would've turned out the way that they did-"

"Of course I know who you are now and I know that it wouldn't have made any difference to you if I had money or not but at the time I couldn't have told you on the first date. At that time, I was trying to lay low and it got to a point where I couldn't tell you because I knew that you would feel betrayed." He reached for her hand, interlacing their fingers together. Sakura felt like she was going to combust as he squeezed her fingers in understanding, "I was going to tell you that weekend," he explained, "I was going to make it really special but then you found out early and that wasn't your fault or anything, it was bound to happen, but I do wish that I had been the one to tell you and explain everything."

"Syaoran," Sakura mumbled, "I do understand."

"Then come back into my life." Sakura looked up and met his eyes as the words flooded her conscious.

"I can't-"

"Not like that," Syaoran explained in a small voice, "Just as my friend. I miss you Sakura. Not just as a girlfriend, but as a best friend, please. I feel like I can't balance everything, like I'm losing who I was and you always kept me so grounded. I'm not asking to get back together, just made a lunch date once a week or something, as friends." Syaoran looked away in shame as the pleading words echoed around the two adults. Sakura felt a lump form in her throat at his startling confession filled her mind. She didn't want to fall back into him so easily, but her resolved had crumbled. He was lost, thrown into the world of celebrities and paparazzi after years of having a completely private life. She felt her heart swell as a cool breeze ruffled her hair.

"Lunch sounds good. How about every Friday?" Sakura asked, a small smile on her face.


End file.
